Electronic systems and circuits have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating data, ideas and trends in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Frequently, these advantageous results are realized through the use of digital video presentations. The digital video presentations typically provide information in a format that humans typically find easy to observe and digest significant amounts of data in relatively short periods of time. However, digital video presentations can be very complex and often include moving objects which usually involves significant presentation illumination changes. Limitations of display device response characteristics can adversely impact clear and timely presentation of the images.
In most digital video systems an image is presented as a raster (an array) of logical picture elements (pixels). Pixels are usually arranged in a matrix of rows and columns with each pixel having a unique identifier (e.g., row and column indicator). Parameter values are typically assigned to each pixel and the parameter values determine the nature of the rendering on the display screen. The parameter values are digital values that correspond to certain attributes of the image (e.g. color, gamma, depth, etc.) measured over a small area of the image represented by a pixel. Typically, information on the brightness level for each primary color (e.g., red, blue and green) in a pixel is provided for each pixel included in the display. The display “illuminates” each pixel in accordance with illumination data assigned to a corresponding pixel identifier. The pixels are illuminated in a “raster” pattern that usually starts at the top of the display and goes across the display from left to right on each row and then drops to the row below until it reaches the bottom. When the display process gets to the last pixel at the bottom, there is a very short “blank” period for a vertical retrace to return back to the starting pixel at the top of the display.
Numerous different types of display devices are utilized to convey information. Display devices usually generate light by impinging high-energy electrons on a picture element (pixel) of a medium (e.g., liquid crystal, phosphor screen, etc.) that converts the electron energy into visible light utilized to convey images to observers. Despite the differences in the way the high energy beams are impinged on a pixel, the format in which image information is provided to the displays is usually similar and there are typically constraints that impact rendering of an image. For example, graphics image display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) typically take a period of time to respond to pixel information. There is usually a time lag between the receiving the pixel information and a pixel reaching a corresponding appropriate level of illumination.
Typically, the primary function of a display screen is to provide a clear and readily viewable presentation to a user. However, there are numerous conditions that can have a significant impact on the perceptibility of the presentation. One of the most important factors affecting a users ability to easily perceive the shapes or images of a presentation is appropriate illumination of the display screen. The rate at which images are rendered in typical graphics systems is often critical to proper illumination and presentation of the information. Rapid variances in pixel data associated with moving images can cause distortions and blurriness in object presentation or pixel illumination.
A response time of a display device that is slower than a refresh rate of video pixel information can produce undesirable blurry or inaccurate presentations which usually results in a user experience that is non-immersive and unpleasant. For example, a typical liquid crystal display (LCD) progressive scan rate of 6o Hertz is locked to a rendering rate of 16 mil-seconds and if the response time of the LCD is 20 mil-seconds the display device can not render or display the “new frame” pixel data in time and continues to display the “old frame” pixel data. Thus, some of the pixels in the vicinity of a moving object can be at an old frame value while some are at a new frame value and the presentation of the object is blurred. For example, an image of a blue car moving in front of a red building can produce a frame in which some of the pixels that should be blue and associated with the car are still red and associated with the building resulting in a distortion of the car image with the building image. User's tend to have ever increasing demands for ever more spectacular and clearer images with better resolutions and glitches or delays in image rendering can diminish user experience and/or interaction with a video device.